Israeli settlers attack West Bank village, burn dozens of trees

Israeli settlers raided the occupied West Bank village of Sarra, near Nablus, and burned “dozens” of trees, the official news agency Wafa reports. Locals told Wafa that settlers set fire to large tracts of land in the village, which led to the burning of many old olive trees.

The south of Nablus has witnessed an uptick in violations perpetrated by the Israeli army and settlers, which have included uprooting or burning down trees, and vandalising houses, Wafa reported.

Since October 7, settlers have carried out 1,334 attacks in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem.

Gaza’s al-Amal Hospital ‘directly fired upon’ by Israeli forces

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reports that the al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis that it operates was directly targeted by Israeli forces earlier today, but there were no injuries.

The hospital, which has also faced shortages like other health facilities in the enclave, has been hit multiple times since the start of the war.

Hamas condemns Israeli soldiers burning Quran in Gaza

Hamas has condemned Israeli soldiers’ burning of copies of the holy Muslim book during a raid of the Bani Saleh Mosque in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian group said in a statement that the move, which was captured in body camera footage of a soldier, shows the “extremist nature” of Israel and its soldiers, “who are filled with hatred and criminality”.

It said the fact that soldiers regularly document their attacks in Gaza and share it on social media “clearly indicates a systematic criminal policy” managed by the Israeli government.

Israel’s latest Quran burnings a war on Islam that Biden must condemn: CAIR

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation in the United States, says the administration of US President Joe Biden must speak out to condemn the latest burning of the copies of the Quran and destruction of mosques by Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

CAIR said the desecration of Islam’s sacred text again shows that the Israeli genocide in Gaza is targeting Islam as well as the Palestinian people.

One video of the incident reportedly shows Israeli soldiers burning and tearing copies of the Quran in the Bani Saleh Mosque in northern Gaza. In another video, Israeli forces reportedly destroy the Grand Mosque in Khan Younis, one of the oldest mosques in Gaza.

“By once again filming themselves burning Qurans and destroying mosques, the forces of the far-right Israeli government have confirmed that their war on the Palestinian people in Gaza is also a war on Islam itself,” said CAIR’s national executive director Nihad Awad.

“The Biden administration must condemn this religious desecration and suspend weapons transfers to the Israeli government to force an end to its campaign of slaughter and starvation in Gaza.”

El Ghazi to donate $560,000 of his Mainz payout to Gaza children

Anwar El Ghazi has pledged to donate $560,000 to children in Gaza, one-third of the payout he received from Mainz 05 for wrongfully terminating his contract over his support for Palestinians in the Israeli war on the besieged coastal enclave.

The Bundesliga club suspended the Dutchman over a social media post showing support for Palestinians in October. The club terminated his contract the following month.

A German court ruled last month that his contract was wrongfully terminated. El Ghazi, who signed with championship side Cardiff City this month, had a contract with Mainz until 2025.

The ruling by Mainz Labour Court ordered Mainz to pay his wages for the past nine months, totalling $1.9m. El Ghazi told The Athletic he had received a payment of $1.7m from Mainz relating to his dismissal.

On Friday, El Ghazi wrote on social media: “I would like to take this moment to thank Mainz for two things. Firstly, for the substantial financial pay-off, 500k of which will be used to fund projects for the children in Gaza.”

Kamala Harris repeats lies that UN experts rejected long ago

Kamala Harris has disgraced herself by showing her allegiance to a foreign nation at the DNC convention when she spoke passionately to defend Israel.

Anthony Blinken Is Useless By Design

Netanyahu’s TERRIFYING US War Plan

More than 70 killed in Gaza since morning: Sources

Medical sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic that at least 71 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids in several areas of central and southern Gaza. The killings came amid forced evacuation orders by the Israeli army for Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. According to The Associated Press, Israel has issued 13 evacuation orders since July 22.

‘There’s nothing, no apartment, no furniture, only destruction’

Some residents returned to Hamad City in Khan Younis, crunching on rubble as they walked between destroyed apartment buildings. One multistorey building’s entire wall was gone, its rooms framing residents picking through debris.

“There is nothing, no apartment, no furniture, no homes, only destruction,” Neveen Kheder told The Associated Press. “We are dying slowly. You know what, if they gave a mercy bullet, it would be better than what is happening to us.”

Infant girl killed in Israeli shelling of Bureij refugee camp

The eight-month-old girl and her mother were killed when Israeli forces shelled their home at Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Wafa news agency reports. Medics at al-Awda Hospital confirmed their deaths.

They ‘could have been saved’: UN on Israel delaying access to bombed home

Earlier, we reported on the UN’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) saying that Israeli authorities prevented a rescue operation at a bombed building in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis for three days.

There were 10 people inside the destroyed building, including five between the ages of four and six, according to Scott Anderson, OCHA’s deputy humanitarian coordinator for Gaza.

“So, it’s a lot of people that were innocent, just trying to find shelter from the conflict and lost their lives here. And the worst part of this is that some of these lives could have been saved,” he said.

This #Gaza family didn't survive under the rubble.

It took 3 days to secure the access of rescue teams to them amid hostilities in Hamad city of Khan Younis.

Today, the recovery of their bodies began.

🔈 Listen to Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Scott Anderson. pic.twitter.com/UPxiAaqafw

— OCHA OPT (Palestine) (@ochaopt) August 24, 2024

Israeli air attack hits southern Gaza neighbourhood

Our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues report that an Israeli air attack has hit the Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood in the west of Rafah city.

Casualties reported after Israeli raid in central Gaza

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report that several people have been injured after an Israeli air attack on the Hakr al-Jami area south of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

Several dead in Israeli raid on Deir el-Balah

Our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues on the ground are reporting that at least six people have been killed and others injured following an Israeli attack on a house in the central Gaza city.

Heavy Israeli shelling in Gaza City

Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent on the ground is reporting heavy Israeli shelling in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of northern Gaza City as Israeli warplanes fly overhead.

The correspondent also reported Israeli artillery attacks on southern Khan Younis.

‘Either a ceasefire in next few days … or a wider regional war’

The main obstacle to reaching a ceasefire deal is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest insistence of keeping the military in Gaza after the ceasefire. The Palestinians and even the mediators are not going to accept Israel directly reoccupying Gaza by having troops deployed in various parts.

We are at a fateful crossroads. Either we turn towards a ceasefire in the next few days … or we can have a wider regional war.

We will have more escalation of violence in Gaza, in Lebanon and potentially throughout the region because Israel does not have an alternative strategy. Israel has no exit plan.

‘Go to Cairo yourself’: Opposition leader to Netanyahu

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prioritise returning captives from Gaza by personally sealing a mediated deal in Egypt.

“Prime minister, go to Cairo yourself, don’t send anybody. Close a deal now,” he said during large demonstrations in Tel Aviv, also publishing the message on his X account, along with images of him meeting with family members of captives held in Gaza.

Lapid has repeatedly blamed Netanyahu for being an obstacle to the truce talks, accusing him of prolonging the war to prevent his far-right ruling coalition from breaking apart.

יאיר לפיד ועינב צנגאוקר צועדים מכיכר החטופים לשער בגין pic.twitter.com/lAnrSRgOsx

— Niv Dimor (@dimor_niv) August 24, 2024

Translation: Yair Lapid and [mother of captive held in Gaza] Einav Zangauker walking from Habima Square to Shaar Begin.


Family of Israeli captive calls for Netanyahu’s removal

More from the protest in Tel Aviv led by the families of Israeli captives:

Ayala Metzger, daughter-in-law of the late captive Yoram Metzger, spoke at the gathering.

She said: “I want to take advantage of this stage and appeal to the ministers and coalition members who are sane. I skip over Netanyahu because he is no longer an issue for me. He failed on the seventh of October and in returning the captives afterwards. Remove him from his position and appoint a person who is able to return them.”

_{A woman with bound hands holds up a sign during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and to call for the release of captives in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, August 24}

No sign of breakthrough in Cairo: Report

The Reuters news agency is reporting that negotiators discussed new compromise proposals in Cairo on Saturday but that there was no indication of progress after hours of talks.

One Palestinian official close to the mediation effort told Reuters that “talks in Cairo didn’t make any progress” as “Israel is insisting on keeping eight positions” along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor or the border area between Egypt and Gaza.

The agency, citing a US official, also said the US delegation met with Egypt, then with Egypt and Qatar on Saturday, and believed that representatives from Egypt and Qatar were meeting with Hamas.

Earlier, the Associated Press news agency also reported that the US delegation held talks with Egypt and Qatar’s teams and that the latter were expected to speak with Hamas later on.

The Palestinian official told Reuters that the Hamas delegation has returned to Doha, Qatar, after the briefing on the latest round of talks ended.


Police detain Israeli protesters in West Jerusalem



Israelis calling for a captive exchange deal and ceasefire in Gaza protested near the home of Israeli Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat in West Jerusalem on Saturday.

Israelis have been holding weekly protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war since last year.

Police detained a number of people at the protest.

Flights to and from Tel Aviv suspended: Reports

Israeli Army Radio is reporting that Israeli authorities have closed the Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv and are redirecting flights to alternative airports. The Times of Israel also reported that departing flights at Ben Gurion have been delayed and “won’t take off in the next few hours” due to “the security situation”.

Most Israeli strikes hit within 5km of Lebanon’s border

Most of the Israeli strikes on Lebanon were in the border area, up to 5km [3 miles] deep along the 120km [74 miles] border.

The border area is now a military zone. It’s been evacuated of civilians. It’s been repeatedly hit by the Israeli army in recent months. Many of the villages … have been levelled to the ground but Hezbollah is still present there.

Another strategy that Israel has been employing in recent months is targeted killings, taking out members and commanders of Hezbollah as well as other Palestinian groups that are allied with Hezbollah.

Remember, Hezbollah opened this front in October to help its ally, Hamas, in Gaza, and Hezbollah has repeatedly said it will not stop or halt firing until there’s a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. So this conflict will continue and will remain a dangerous conflict as long as the war in Gaza continues and, without that ceasefire, there can be no diplomatic solution to this conflict.

Biden ‘closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon’: Spokesperson

US President Joe Biden has been “engaged with his national security team throughout the evening” and has directed senior US officials to be “communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts”, White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a brief statement.

“We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and we will keep working for regional stability,” Savett added.

The way you're interpreting self defense, those two goals are mutually exclusive...

‘A major escalation in scope and intensity’

Israel’s strikes have “the potential to draw the whole region into the full-blown war”, Sami Nader, the director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, told Al Jazeera.

He said that while this signals a “major escalation in terms of scope of operation and intensity”, both Hezbollah and Israel “are trying to avoid full-blown war”.

Israel, he said, is “exhausted” by its war on Gaza, and the Lebanese group does not want to see a war similar to the one that occurred in 2006 as Lebanon is in a “serious economic crisis”.

However, he said, no diplomatic settlement appears to be taking form and “Israel is determined to change rules of engagement” that would allow a return of all Israelis who were evacuated from northern Israel.

Yair Lapid backs military operations in Lebanon

The Israeli opposition leader added in a post on X: “Any attempt to attack Israel will bet met with a heavy hand and the capabilities of the [Israeli army] and the security system”.

Israel does not seek ‘full-scale war’: FM Katz

“Israel does not seek a full-scale war but will act according to development on the ground,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz has said, according to the Reuters news agency.

One person critically injured in southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s NNA news agency is reporting that one person was critically injured in a drone attack in Qasimia in southern Lebanon. Israeli warplanes also fired air-to-ground missiles towards al-Mansouri town in Tyre district, NNA added, with no injuries reported.

_{Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli forces}

Israeli military restricts gatherings, closes some beaches

The Israeli military has announced a series of restrictions on civilians in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights as it traded fire with Hezbollah.

The military’s Home Front Command closed beaches near the border with Lebanon and restricted outdoor gatherings to 30 people and indoor meetings to 300, according to The Times of Israel.

It also said educational activities and workplaces would be able to operate if an adequate shelter was located nearby.

_{A Hezbollah UAV explodes after being intercepted by Israeli forces over northern Israel}

Iran-Hezbollah escalation was ‘contained immediately’

_{A view after Israel carried out strikes on Lebanon, as seen from Tyre in the south of the country}

Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, who has reported from south Lebanon on many occasions since the cross-border attacks by Hezbollah and Israel began, says an escalation was “anticipated”.

However, what was “significant” about the events overnight was how the situation was “contained immediately”. He said the containment signals that “both sides are keeping a distance” from going towards an all-out war.

All parties involved, including Israel, Hezbollah, Iran and the US, are trying to avoid such an escalation because the “price of a war on both sides is going to be massive”, Hashem said.

Hezbollah said its attack was an initial response to the Israeli military’s killing of its commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut in July, and Israel said it thwarted the attack. But Hashem said it remains unclear what exactly happened overnight and what strategic locations the Lebanese group had targeted.

He said the next few hours will be crucial as there should be statements from both sides indicating what trajectory this escalation will take.

One killed as Israel launches new raids in south Lebanon

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) is reporting that one person was killed in an Israeli raid on a car in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam. The attack was part of a series of renewed Israeli raids on southern Lebanon.

NNA and Al Mayadeen TV reported Israeli raids in several locations, including Zebqin, Yater, Shebaa Valley, villages in Nabatieh, the Bir Kalb area, Kfar Kila, Alma ash-Shaab, and Meiss el-Jabal.

Israel claims it hit ‘thousands’ of Hezbollah rocket launchers

The Israeli military says approximately 100 of its fighter jets “struck and destroyed” thousands of rocket launchers in south Lebanon earlier this morning. “Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel,” the military said in a statement.

More than 40 launch sites were attacked, it added.

Netanyahu says Israel ‘acted proactively’ to remove Hezbollah threat

The prime minister issued a statement saying he instructed the Israeli military to “act proactively” after detecting Hezbollah’s preparations to attack Israel.

The military has been working to “thwart the threats” and has “destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the north of the country”. He added, “It’s also thwarting many other threats and is operating with great power – both in defence and on the attack.

“We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: Whoever harms us – we harm him.”

And how is that simple rule been making Israel safe?

Two wounded in Israeli raids on south Lebanon: Report

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) is reporting that a Lebanese man suffered minor injuries and a Syrian man sustained moderate injuries following Israel’s attacks earlier this morning. Both men were taken to hospital for treatment, the NNA said, citing the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Israel, Hezbollah continue tit-for-tat exchange of fire

According to sources close to Hezbollah, two key targets were hit north of Tel Aviv.

Hezbollah issued an initial statement saying its retaliation for the killing of its top commander, Fuad Shukr, as well as civilians who were killed in that strike, has begun and that the first phase is over and it was successful. In another statement, Hezbollah said it fired up to 320 rockets and drones, and that the rockets were to open the corridor to allow the armed drones to reach their targets.

For its part, Israel said it carried out “preemptive” strikes targeting at least 40 sites across southern Lebanon. It was one of the biggest attacks carried out by the Israeli military since the start of this conflict 10 months ago.

But statements from Israeli officials saying they were acting in self-defence seem to signal that Israel has not declared a full-on war with Hezbollah. Even the foreign minister said Israel does not want a comprehensive war.

And just a few minutes ago, a car was hit in a border village in Lebanon, killing a person, most likely a Hezbollah fighter, because that area is empty of civilians. So, the tit-for-tat exchange of fire continues amid heightened tensions. And Israeli warplanes are flying overhead, as well as Israeli drones.

Hezbollah dismisses Israel’s claims of preemptive action as baseless

The Lebanese group says “all offensive drones were launched at specific times from all of their sites” and that they crossed the border into Israel “towards their intended targets from multiple routes”.

“Thus, our military operation for today has been completed,” it said.

Hezbollah added that Israel’s claims on its “preemptive actions, the targets it allegedly hit and its supposed disruption of the Resistance’s attack are baseless and contradict the facts on the ground”.

It said more details would be provided in a speech by its chief Hassan Nasrallah later today.

Flights resume at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport

Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority has announced the resumption of flights to and from the country’s main international airport after a brief suspension due to strikes by Hezbollah.

Operations at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv resumed at 7am (04:00 GMT), spokesman Roy Steinmetz said, adding that “planes diverted to other airports will also take off from Ben Gurion again”.

Lapid says Israel’s attacks on Lebanon ‘justified’

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has taken to X to express support for Israel’s strikes on Lebanon this morning, saying the attacks were a “necessary act of self-defence”. “The world should offer its unequivocal support for Israel’s right to defend itself,” he said. Earlier, Lapid posted in Hebrew, backing the military operation in south Lebanon.

The actions of the Israeli Air Force this morning are a justified and necessary act of self-defense against a terrorist organization which planned to fire indiscriminately at Israeli civilians.

The world should offer its
unequivocal support for Israel’s right to defend itself.

— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) August 25, 2024

Royal Jordanian Airlines suspends flights to Beirut

Jordan’s flag carrier has cancelled all of Sunday’s flights to the Lebanese capital “due to the current situation”, Jordan’s state news agency says.

Saar slams Israeli government for its handling of Hezbollah

The chairman of the right-wing party New Hope urges the government to do more to reduce the Lebanese group’s capabilities.

“Faced with Hezbollah’s decision to fire thousands of missiles and rockets – once again the government chose the less correct strategic alternative,” Gideon Saar said on X.

“The choice to thwart the attack only after ten and a half months of Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel is the continuation of the policy of containment. This decision has one meaning: only our enemies determine the timing and level of escalation.

“This opportunity should have led to a decision on an overall preemptive attack to change the reality in the north. Whoever runs away from the war – the war will chase him.”

Hezbollah aimed to hit military intelligence, Mossad bases

The Israeli military claims that Hezbollah intended to strike military intelligence and Mossad bases in central Israel overnight, according to Israeli Army Radio and media outlet Haaretz.

Several airlines cancel flights to, from Tel Aviv

Israeli media outlet Haaretz is reporting that Air France, Etihad Airways and Aegean Airlines have cancelled flights to and from Ben Gurion airport.

According to Haaretz, the airlines joined 16 others in announcing the discontinuation of flights to and from Israel, including some until Monday and others until further notice.

_{Passengers check their flights at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv}

Air France cancels flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut

Air France has cancelled its flights to the two Middle Eastern destinations until at least Monday.

“Resuming these routes will be subject to a new assessment of the security situation,” the airline said in a statement. “Air France reiterates that the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority.”